Pasig River 2030 - 6 Plus 2022
Digital Video, color, sound
8’30”
Commissioned by UCCA Center for Contemporary Art
 
The video Pasig River 2030 - 6 Plus, set in the Philippines in 2030, is the story of a fictional local Internet service provider and blockchain company, presenting the future digital life of developing countries from their perspective. The Pasig River of the title is an important thread in the filmic narrative. This river, which flows through Metro Manila, was judged to be “ecologically dead” in 2000 due to pollution. However, within the film’s computer generated imagery, the river has been restored to life and is jointly administered by the local government and the blockchain company. Looming in the background, however, are numerous problems, including comprehensive monitoring and digital colonization.
 
Informed by in-depth study into current “Digital Earth” projects, network infrastructure construction, and blockchain development, Wu Ziyang considers filmic narrative through the lens of American sociologist and design theorist Benjamin Bratton’s 6-tier Stack model, investigating the many factors behind the rapid evolution of the cloud-networked society, including the environment and ecology, society and culture, and geopolitics. The “6 Plus” of the title not only echoes the 6-layer structure of the video, but also lightheartedly reminds people of the various generations of mobile phone models. Through a humorous and absurd visual language, the artist reveals contradictions between digital structures and material reality, backwardness and progress. He also forewarns of the changes and “upgrades” that society will face, reminding us of a potential crisis not far away.
 
Director & Screenwriter: Wu Ziyang
CG Modeling & Animation: Chen Yishan, Liao Jiaqi, Li Jiatao, Li Tiran, Wang Xinyue NFT Character Design: Wang Ziqi, Mao Kexin, Ge Hanxiao
Music: Yao Dajun - Cursive Calligraphy
Trailer Music: Art of Silence - Uniq
巴石河2030 - 6 Plus
2022
彩色数码有声影像
8分30秒
由UCCA尤伦斯当代艺术中心委任
 
影像作品《巴石河2030 – 6 Plus》以2030年的菲律宾为背景，虚构了当地的一家互联网服务供应商和区块链公司，并以其视角呈现了未来发展中国家的数字生活环境。作品标题中的“巴石河”是影像叙事的重要线索：这条流经马尼拉大都会的河流因污染严重，早在2000年初便已被判定为“生态死亡”，但在CG渲染的虚拟场景中，河流却在当地政府与区块链公司的联手治理下恢复了“生机”，背后却氤氲着全景监控、数字殖民等一系列问题。
 
通过对当下“数字地球”、全球网络基础设施建设和区块链的发展进程的深入研究，武子杨将影像叙事铺设于美国社会学家、设计理论家本杰明·布拉顿的“堆栈”模型中，以全景视角考察云网络社会高速演变背后的环境生态、社会文化、地缘政治层面的多维度现实。标题后半部分的“6 Plus”在呼应影像的6层结构的同时，亦幽默地让人想到手机型号的迭代，而艺术家通过一以贯之的诙谐、荒诞视觉语言，不仅揭示了数字构造与物质现实、落后与先进之间的矛盾，也预示着社会自身将要面临的变动与更迭，提示我们潜伏在眼前不远处的危机。
 
导演 & 编剧：武子杨
CG建模/动画： 陈艺杉、廖嘉琪、李嘉涛、李倜然、王心玥
NFT角色设计：王子琪、毛可欣、葛晗笑
音乐：姚大钧 - 草书
预报片音乐：Art of Silence - Uniq